A series of studies that examine issues concerning the role of phonological processing during word recognition in reading is proposed. Specifically, the studies will examine the role that phonology plays in accessing meaning from print, the influence of reading skill on word recognition processes, and the nature of the phonological representations involved in meaning access. Skilled and less-skilled readers will participate in the experiments and their eye movements will be recorded. Eye movement data (fixation duration, gaze duration, frequency of regressions) and word naming time data will be examined to determine the circumstances under which phonology is involved in meaning access during reading and the nature of the phonological representations involved in meaning access. The proposed research addresses fundamental questions regarding the basic architecture of the reading system as well as more detailed questions concerning the structure of the mental representations involved in reading. As such, the studies will provide information that is critical to refining models of skilled reading. These studies also have implications for models of reading disability and will provide more detailed information about the ways in which skilled and less-skilled readers differ. In addition, a more complete description of word recognition processes for skilled and less-skilled readers has implications for methods of reading instruction and remediation.